NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor's Edge

About

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is an action-packed hack and slash game featuring the renowned ninja, Ryu Hayabusa. This edition includes new features, characters, and improved gameplay mechanics, providing an enhanced experience over the original release. Players will face challenging enemies and bosses while mastering various weapons and ninpo abilities. The game offers a thrilling and brutal combat system, appealing to both newcomers and series veterans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 324 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

story21 negative mentions

The combat is fluid and responsive, allowing for dynamic combos and satisfying dismemberment mechanics.
Graphically impressive with dark, atmospheric environments and smooth animations.
The story is more cohesive, focusing on Ryu Hayabusa's internal struggles alongside external conflicts.

The controls are poorly set by default, requiring adjustments for a better experience.
The removal of multiplayer is disappointing for fans of the series.
The game is criticized for its unbalanced difficulty, with some bosses being frustratingly hard.

story
109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
70%
19%
The story in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its attempt to humanize Ryu Hayabusa and explore deeper themes, while others criticize it for being convoluted and poorly executed. New playable characters like Ayane and Momiji add variety, but the narrative often feels flat and lacks coherence, leading to a range of opinions on its overall quality. Despite its flaws, many agree that the story provides enough context to enjoy the action, even if it doesn't stand out as a strong point of the series.
- “The story is more cohesive this time, focusing on Ryu Hayabusa's internal struggles alongside external conflicts.”
- “The story is simple at first, but it really gives thought to Ryu's actions and their consequences on him and those who interact with him. It's not far from the truth that Ryu is indeed a killer, and I like how this game ends up humanizing Hayabusa, something I don't think happened in both previous entries.”
- “Well, to start, the story is really good. Despite some goofiness, I found the story actually kind of touching. I especially like how they try and humanize Ryu.”
- “The narrative contradictions left me bewildered—betrayals, forgotten motives, and a plot that’s more tangled than a ninja’s shuriken belt.”
- “The story was never a strong suit of the games, but what the hell was this story? Easily the worst one yet.”
- “The story sucks in lots of ways, so much that this story for 3 shouldn't even exist after the ending of 2.”
gameplay
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
59%
14%
The gameplay of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fluid combat and the introduction of the "steel on bone" mechanic, which adds a satisfying layer to battles. However, criticisms include inconsistent controls, frustrating boss designs, and a lack of depth compared to earlier titles in the series, leading to a perception of it being more linear and spammy. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable and fast-paced, others feel it strays too far from the core mechanics that defined the franchise.
- “The combat feels fluid and responsive, allowing for dynamic combos and satisfying dismemberment mechanics that make each battle thrilling.”
- “The gameplay is the best of the series, and the story isn't going to win any Oscars, but it's fun enough to give you a reason to cut bad guys to shreds.”
- “Overflowing with action and adrenaline, fast gameplay and constant pressure, this is an incredible adventure.”
- “The gameplay feels largely random, the controls are a little janky, and the perviness of Ayane's design is frankly off-putting.”
- “Gameplay is sluggish and causes a lot of seemingly missed inputs leading to very frustrating combat as the character always feels like it's a step behind.”
- “Now to start this off, the gameplay is absolute garbage; there are still plenty of cool moves to do, but the game/gameplay is very hard and not in a fair way, the game is absolutely punishing even on normal mode like the original Ninja Gaiden Sigma but here it's cranked up to 11.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The game's graphics have received mixed reviews, with many praising the dark, atmospheric environments and smooth animations, while others criticize the muddy visuals and lack of modern updates or graphical options. Some players noted that cutscenes can be finicky and that the overall aesthetic feels dated, particularly in the context of current gaming standards. Despite these issues, many still find the graphics appealing for their time, though improvements are desired, especially for a PC port.
- “Graphically, the game is impressive, with dark, atmospheric environments and smooth animations.”
- “As far as graphics and performance, I don't have complaints.”
- “Gameplay, cinematic, music, characters, and graphics are fantastic.”
- “Doesn't come with any modern updates like better graphics or ultra-wide support, just a straight port.”
- “The entire little things like even the visual theme of the series that made it different yet pleasing in appearance/aesthetic is butchered.”
- “Muddy, yellowish graphics that you can clearly tell which generation it's from; this one nothing you can do since the petty consoles were only able to do this much.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
44%
19%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as impactful and well-composed, while others find it forgettable or lackluster, particularly in comparison to previous titles. Despite criticisms, many players appreciate the variety of tracks available, noting that the main theme stands out as a highlight. Overall, while the music enhances the atmosphere for some, it fails to resonate with others, leading to a divided opinion on its quality.
- “Also, the game's music is pretty good, not to knock it in my previous statement.”
- “Great music, has multiple MGS: Revengeance type segments before that game even came out, story-wise actually impactful (I was shaking at the last QTE hit, and not just from anger from the first phase).”
- “The music in the game is still good, plenty of tracks to listen to.”
- “The forgettable tunes in Ninja Gaiden 3 make elevator music seem riveting.”
- “I fight the boredom by playing my own music and speedrunning for achievements.”
- “Cash grab, don't buy it, not an OST in any way; it's a program that you must load up to look/listen... pretty sure that's against Steam's TOS regarding OST uploads.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
38%
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the deeper, more touching narrative and the wholesome yet heartbreaking relationship between Ryu and Canna, others criticize the forced emotionality and the presence of bland characters that detract from the experience. Overall, the attempt to humanize Ryu is noted as a positive, but the execution may feel overdone for some players.
- “His relationship with Canna is wholesome yet heartbreaking.”
- “It has heartwarming moments in it too, but the darker elements keep me hooked.”
- “The story, on the other hand, is a lot deeper and more emotional compared to other Ninja Gaiden games.”
- “Boring story with bland, uninteresting characters that you don't care about.”
- “The emotional moments felt forced and lacked genuine impact.”
- “I couldn't connect with the characters, making the emotional scenes fall flat.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many criticizing the reliance on scripted sequences and quick time events that feel unnecessary. Boss fights are often described as unfair and repetitive, contributing to an overall sense of dissatisfaction and making it difficult for players to enjoy the experience. While some sections can be skipped in replay modes, the general consensus is that the grinding detracts significantly from the game's enjoyment.
- “The game feels very tedious with scripted sequences and quick time events that don't even feel necessary at all.”
- “The truth is that the game is a bit tedious, the difficulty is all over the map and it's not great.”
- “It's hard to imagine anyone playing this fight and going, 'yes, that was satisfying, fair and a wonderful way to wrap up this game.' It's tedious, it's frustrating and it's the reason I can't really recommend the game.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's atmosphere is described as dark and impressive, with smooth animations enhancing the experience. However, some players feel it lacks the depth and richness of earlier titles, citing a more linear design and a diminished sense of immersion. While combat and other gameplay elements have improved, the overall atmosphere has received mixed reviews, with some finding it lacking compared to previous installments.
- “Graphically, the game is impressive, with dark, atmospheric environments and smooth animations.”
- “Better combat, better weapons, better bosses, better level design, better music, better atmosphere, better blood, and better healing system.”
- “After playing DMC5, I can't find anyone who wants to play this; it lacks the atmosphere of the first game and the exaggerated amount of enemies from the second part (the Xbox 360 version)... and I still love it.”
- “Razors Edge (remake) managed to bring back the iconic combat to the game and made it fun again, but all of the other aspects, like story, atmosphere, characters, levels, etc. are mostly just bad.”
- “Good combat, cheap enemy design, incredibly linear levels, different atmosphere compared to the first two, minimalist port.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Overall, the optimization of the game is mixed; while some players report good graphics and performance with minimal bugs, others experience significant issues such as stuttering, problematic quicktime events, and frustrating camera movements that detract from gameplay. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the combat mechanics are well-optimized, maintaining a level of quality consistent with previous titles in the series.
- “As far as graphics and performance, I don't have complaints.”
- “Didn't encounter any bugs apart from QTE prompts not appearing (not sure if that's a bug or intentional), performance to me was better than Sigma 1, so mostly good technically with no real big problems.”
- “It has technically the best combat in the series and its optimization is also very good, just like its predecessors.”
- “Between invulnerable spawning enemies, quicktime events that break the flow of combat, mandatory camera movements that remove the focus off your character that you can still get hit during, artificial difficulty increase of simply adding more enemies to the encounters, and the port having atrocious stuttering for anyone not running their monitor at 60Hz.”
- “I have never played a game with such terrible performance on PC.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game offers significant replayability through the introduction of new playable characters like Ayane, Momiji, and Kasumi, as well as the challenging "ninja trials" mode. Players appreciate the abundance of content, including full chapters and various missions, which contribute to its high replay value despite the game's shorter length. Overall, it stands out for its difficulty and extensive replay options.
- “New playable characters like Ayane and Momiji add variety, while the 'Ninja Trials' mode provides challenging missions for extra replayability.”
- “Content-wise, this game is full of stuff, with three more playable characters (Ayane, Momiji, and Kasumi) on trials and even full chapters of the game.”
- “Excellent game; they don't make games this difficult or this replayable anymore.”
- “Short but offers massive replayability.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the story mediocre and others criticizing the second installment's narrative. However, there is appreciation for the depth added to characters like Ryu Hayabusa and Ayane, as well as the unique storyboard and environmental design that enhance their development. Overall, while the storytelling may falter, the character portrayals are seen as a strong point.
- “Ryu Hayabusa's character development is impressive.”
- “The storyboard work for the characters and the environmental design is something I appreciate, showcasing unique character design.”
- “The characters are pretty good; the game humanizes Ryu and also gives a bit more character development to Ayane.”
- “Ryu Hayabusa's character development is lacking.”
- “While the storyboard work is interesting, the overall character development feels underwhelming.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and no noticeable glitches, others have encountered saving issues and various glitches that detract from the experience. Despite these problems, many still consider it one of the best hack and slash games available.
- “I only recommend playing this game if you've truly gotten bored of Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2. The combat tweaks change things up, it runs smoothly, and I didn't witness any glitches. It feels like a complete game.”
- “It is a lot of repetition and there are still a bunch of glitches, but this is literally one of the best hack and slash games made.”
- “Two of the three games have saving glitches, and not even Steam or the 'only one' email address of Tecmo Koei will help me.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as "funny bad," with players finding amusement in its nonsensical dialogue and erratic storytelling, making even lengthy cutscenes enjoyable.
- “It's funny in a bad way.”
- “It just straight up yaps at you, then forgets itself. It's actually so funny to me that I don't mind sitting through the cutscenes.”